MIAMI – LeBron James scored 32 points and added eight assists, Chris Bosh scored 20 points and the Miami Heat held on to beat the Charlotte Bobcats 101-97 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

Dwyane Wade scored 15 points and had a steal in the final seconds to help seal the win for Miami.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 22 points for Charlotte, which got 18 points and 13 rebounds from Al Jefferson, who played through a left plantar fascia strain and shot 9 for 23 from the floor. Kemba Walker added 16 and Gerald Henderson scored 15 for the Bobcats.

Game 3 is Saturday night in Charlotte.

• Mavericks 113, Spurs 92SAN ANTONIO – Monta Ellis scored 21 points and the Dallas Mavericks rolled to a victory over San Antonio on Wednesday night, snapping a 10-game skid against the Spurs and evening their first-round series at a game apiece.

Shawn Marion scored 20 points, Dirk Nowitzki added 16, Devin Harris had 18 and Jose Calderon 12 for Dallas, which never trailed after the opening minutes of the second quarter.

Dallas didn't relent in Game 2 after blowing a 10-point lead in the final eight minutes of the series opener. San Antonio's ineptness had as much to do with tying the series, however. The Spurs averaged 14.4 turnovers during the regular season, but had 15 with 3 minutes left in the first half. They finished with 22 turnovers, which resulted in 33 points for the Mavericks.

• Trail Blazers 112, Rockets 105HOUSTON – LaMarcus Aldridge scored 43 points and Damian Lillard made six free throws down the stretch to give the Portland Trail Blazers a win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night and a 2-0 lead in the first-round playoff series.

James Harden knocked down a 3-pointer with about 30 seconds left to get the Rockets within three. Lillard made two free throws before Harden fouled out about 10 seconds later. Mo Williams and Lillard both made a pair of free throws after that to secure the win.

Aldridge became the first player with consecutive 40-point games in the playoffs since LeBron James did it in May of 2009 after scoring a career-high and franchise playoff-record 46 in an overtime win in Game 1.

Dwight Howard was unstoppable early and scored 25 points in the first half, but managed just seven in the second half.

Dragic named most improved player

PHOENIX – Goran Dragic, whose breakout season helped the Phoenix Suns make a remarkable transformation, has been named the NBA's most improved player.

The 6-foot-3 Slovenian, who turns 28 in two weeks, flourished under first-year coach Jeff Hornacek's double-point guard system, teaming with Eric Bledsoe to form a dynamic backcourt.

Dragic averaged 20.5 points and 5.9 assists per game, shooting 50.5 percent from the field, 40.8 percent on 3-pointers. He was the only player in the NBA to shoot better than 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range.

Dragic received 408 of a possible 1,134 points, including 65 first-place votes, from a panel of 126 sports writers and broadcasters in the United States and Canada. Indiana's Lance Stephenson was second with 158 points and 13 first-place votes, and New Orleans' Anthony Davis third with 155 points and 16 first-place votes.

Jackson seeking Knicks coach, says it won't be him

GREENBURGH, N.Y. – The coaching search is on in New York, and the best possible candidate has already been eliminated.

Phil Jackson won't be hiring himself to coach the Knicks.

Two days after firing Mike Woodson, Jackson reiterated Wednesday that he won't be returning to the bench, despite the fact that even fiancee Jeanie Buss told him he should.

But Jackson, who retired from coaching in 2011 after winning an NBA-record 11 titles, said his body isn't up to doing the job.

"Jeanie Buss was here with the Board of Governors last week and stayed through the weekend, and tried to encourage me to coach the team. And if there's anyone that can encourage me to do anything, it's Jeanie Buss. But I was able to withstand her arguments the whole time," Jackson said at the Knicks' training center.

So the new team president said he's looking for a leader with the personality and charisma to succeed in New York. He hopes to talk with Steve Kerr, the TNT analyst frequently mentioned as the leading candidate, sometime within the next month.

"New York, I think, demands a personality, a person that the fans can believe in, a person that has some confidence, has the charismatic appeal, and I think has a forward-looking idea about the game," Jackson said.

He believes Kerr, who played for him in Chicago and served as general manager of the Phoenix Suns, could be that person. He discussed Kerr's potential interest in coaching last year when a group was trying to buy the Sacramento Kings and move them to Seattle. Jackson was prepared to run their basketball operations if that happened.

He and Kerr spoke again earlier this year about basketball, so Jackson is comfortable they share the same view of how the game should be played.

"I know philosophically we have a strong connection. Whether he's able to take a job like this, I don't know," Jackson said. "I will get in a conversation with him later on this month and talk to him about and see where he's at as far as his desire to coach."